Stacking apparatus



March 18, 1952 c. M. MARTIN 2,589,718

sTAcKING APPARATUS TTO R N EYS March 18, 1952 C, M, MARTlN STACKING APPARATUS Filed 001,. l1, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Cuor: N. MARUN TIG. L By Mza! M ym ATTORNEYS March 18, 1952 c. M. MARTIN 2,589,718

STACKING APPARATUS Filed O01.. 1l, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 l s Y\ G. 15. 33 mr/ INVENTOR.

CLYDE M. MARTIN WMM jf/2&4

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 18, 1952 s'rAcKING APPARATUS Clyde M. Martin, Grange Cove, Calif., assignor ol one-half to Nick J. Buratovich and'one-half to Mike T. Buratovich, Dinuba, Calif.

Application October 11, 1948, Serial No. 53,858

12 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to a stacking method and apparatus for the stabilization of boxed produce arranged in stacks, as for example in railway cars for shipping, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for integrating boxes in a load assembly in a manner dependably retaining the boxes in arranged position and assuring the proper ventilation of produce contained therein.

In the marketing of fresh produce, such as fruits and vegetables, it is the usual practice to load the produce in boxes of uniform size and shape, to lid the boxes, and then to stack the boxes in a carrier, such as a. refrigerated railway car, for shipment. Originally the boxes were arranged in stacks and the stacks loaded in end to end arrangement in a tier across the car, successive tiers disposing the boxes in side by side relation in rows lengthwise of the car, adjacent boxes being in abutting relation. It was found that under such loading practices and excessive amount of spoilage of the produce occurred during shipment.

It is well known that fresh produce continues to breathe for a considerable time after the harvesting thereof and that such breathing is essential to the maintenance of the produce in a marketable condition. This necessitates thorough ventilation of load assemblies. Further, it is normally necessary to cool the produce for shipment. This is usually done by shipping the produce in refrigerated cars which are usually pre-cooled prior to the sealing thereof for movement to market. The pre-cooling procedure normally takes the form of blowing cold air from an independent source through the car. It will be obvious that eicient pre-cooling of the car and eicient continued refrigeration of produce arranged therein can only be achieved in a load assembly that permits ready ventilation. Still further, in many types of produce it is desirable, and in some instances necessary, to fumigate the produce -after it is packed and before shipment. The fumigation is more effectively oarried on in the car after the loading thereof than at any other stage of the packing and shipping procedure. Obviously the fumigation, if it is to be effective and not unduly protracted, requires a load assembly subject to ready ventilation.

Because of these requirements, the method of loading the cars previously described has been abandoned in commercial carloading procedures involving fresh produce. Much experimentation and development work has been done to the end of solving the problems of arranging the boxes of produce in a load assembly in a manner that will dependably maintain the boxes in arranged position during transportation, that is economical and easy to employ, and that assures efficient ventilation of the car to the end of permitting the produce to continue to breathe, rapidly to pre-cool and eiciently to refrigerate the produce during transportation, and/or to facilitate fumigation of the produce of the load assembly.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved loading method and apparatus.

Another object is to provide a load assembly that possesses improved ventilation characteristics.

Another object is to provide a load assembly having intersecting ventilation passages formed therethrough in substantially horizontal planes intermediate the stacked boxes and in substantially vertical planes intermediate stacks of the boxes.

Another object is to provide a load assembly that is easy to employ, inherently economical, and dependable in assuring effective ventilation and maintenance of the boxes in predetermined positions.

Another object is to provide an improved spacer for boxes and the like.

A further object is to provide spacers for boxes and the like that are suited to automatic machine tool formation to the end of reducing the production cost thereof.

A still further object is to provide improved spacers of such compact form as to make it practical to retrieve the spacers when a load of produce is taken from a railway car and to return the spacers for repeated use. l

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the subsequent description in the specication.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a load assembly embodying the teachings of the present invention as viewed from the side thereof.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the portion of the load assembly shown in Fig. 1 viewed generally from the top thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of a refrigerated railway car showing a portion of a load assembly of the present invention contained thereby.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged side elevation of a spacer of the present invention shown in asstack and said stack from the ends of the railway car or other load-confining structure.

Fig. '7 is a perspective of the half-spacer of Fig. 6. V Y

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modified form of the spacer of the present invention shown in association with four fragmentarily illustrated boxes with which it is employed to support the boxes in vertically spaced relation and corresponding boxes of adjacent, stacks in horizontally spaced relation. y A

Fig. 9 is a perspective viewjof the .spacer shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 110 is a side elevationof a s o-called half-I spacer of the form shownin Figs. 8 and 9 as employed to space a pair of adjacent boxesV ina stack and said stack from theends of the railway car or other loadfconning structure.

Fig. 11is a side elevation Vof aform of the spacer' of the present invention modified to accommodate boxes having no bottom cleats, shown in lassociation with four fragmentarily illustrated boxes with which itis employed to support the boxes in verticallyl spaced relation and corresponding boxes of adjacent stacks in horizontally spaced relation. Y

Fig. 12 isv a perspective view of the spacer shown in elevation in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a side elevation ofv a so-called halfspacer of the form shown in Figs. 11 and 12 as employed to space a pair of adjacent, fragmentarily illustrated, boxes in a stack and said stack from thev ends of the railway car or other load-confining structure.

Fig. 14 is an elevational View of a portion of a load assembly showing a second form of main-- taining each stack of superimposed loads in unitary relation in a compartment Vfor transportation thereof. L j

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the means for maintaining stacks unitarily, as shown in Fig. 14. Referring in greater detail tothe drawings:

A representative portionof a load assembly of the present invention isrshown in Figs. 1 and 2 including a pluraltiy of boxes I arranged in stacks designated generally at II,v I2, I3, and I4 respectively. When loaded in a railway car, the stacks II and I2, and I3 and I4 normally comprise rows longitudinally of the car and the stacks II and i3, and I2 and I4 comprise tiersv transversely of the car. It is to be understood that the boxes are stacked much higherrthan shown and that a sufficient number of tiers and rows are employed substantially to. fill a railroad car or other confining and transporting apparatus. It is also to be understood that the boxes may be arranged in end-torend relation in the rows, rather than in end-to-end relation in the tiers, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the present invention.v

The boxes Ill are of a well known rectangular` in an4 upwardly arched position after the .box` has,

been packed with produce. V'The boxes are no'rmally formed of wood and the bottoms each provided with a pair of spaced, transversely arranged, cleats or ledges 20 adjacent the ends thereof and the lids each provided with a pair of spaced, transversely arranged, cleats or ledges 2l adjacent the ends of the box and nailed to said ends in securing relation to the lid. As will subsequently become apparent the load assembly and apparatus of the present invention is not restrict-V ed to the type of boxes described and shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and but suitably illustrated thereby. The present invention may employ boxes having either or both upwardly and downwardly extended cleats or other extensions. The

spacers may even be employed with open top boxes by grasping the upper edges of the ends of the boxes instead of the box cleats.

Spacers23 shown in Figs. 1, 2, and. 3 are illustrated in greater detail; in Figs. 4 and 5. The spacer is conveniently formed from a substantially rectangular, horizontallyv positioned, block of wood or other suitable material and has a pair of substantially parallel,V spaced channels or grooves 245 formed upwardly disposed in the top spacer 23 provides a downwardly disposed boss 251 surface thereof and a pair ofV substantially parallel, spaced, downwardly disposed grooves 25 formed in the lower surface of the block. Thegrooves are of a size to receive individually the cleats 20 and 2| of the boxes, with which the spacer is employed. It has been found desirable to provide the grooves with inwardly'converging side walls to facilitate speedy placement of the spacers as a load is assembled. So shaped, the

and an upwardly disposedboss 2' I adapted snugly to fit in the interstices between the ends of the boxes and a pair of spaced, downwardly extended bosses 28 and a pair of spaced, upwardly extended bosses 23 spaced from the central bosses 26 and 21, respectively, a suicient distance to receive the cleats therebetween.

A so-called half-spacer 3| is shown in detail in Figs. 6 and '7 of the general type of the spacer 23. The half-spacer is adapted to rest upon a supporting box and to support a superimposed box and to space said boxes from an adjacent wall, such as a side wall 32 of a railway car or other conning structure. The spacer 3l is the spacer 23 vertically bisected through the bosses 25 and 2I and thus has a single downwardly dis- 'posed channel 25 and a single upwardly disposed channel 24 for the receipt of the cleats 20 and 2 I, respectively.

A portion of a load assembly is shown in Fig. 3 arranged in a railway car having a side wall 32 and a oor 33. The oor is normally provided with supporting slats 34 upwardly spaced from the floor 33 and adapted to support the load assembly. The slats are spaced from the floor for the free circulation of cool air, fumigation gases and the like between the floor and the slats and the slats spaced so that said air and/ or gasesmay pass freely upwardly through their interstices. An end wall of the railway car is shown frag'- a. mentarily at in Fig. 3.

The bottom box of each stack is rested upon the slats 32, and is spaced upwardly therefrom by its lower cleats 20. The, row of boxes adjacent the side wall 32 of the railway car is spacedr therefrom by the use of the spacers 3I, such spacers being provided between each box in each stack of said tier and extended therefrom to abutment with the wall 32. As the load is assembled, the spacers 3I1are, arranged `so that .each receives an upwardly disposed cleat 2I `of the box' on which it is rested and the downwardly disposed cleat 20 of the box rested on the spacer. Thus the half spacers lock their respective boxes against longitudinal movement from vertical alignment in the stacks. The spacers 23 are interposed superimposed corresponding boxes of adjacent stacks and by the reception of the cleats 20 and 2| of the four boxes, which each cleat 23 interconnects, locks the superimposed boxes in vertical alignment, vertically spaces the boxes in the stack for free ventilation, fumigation, and the like and interconnects the adjacent stacks in a row in xed spaced relation. Each box in each stack above the bottom box is supported at one end by a single spacer (23 or 3|) and at the opposite end by a pair of spacers. The ends of boxes supported by a single spacer have a pair of spacers rested thereon to support superimposed boxes and the opposite ends each have a single spacer rested thereon to support superimposed boxes. This relationship is clearly evident in Figs. 1 and 2 and through the provision of three point support for each box supported by a spacer dependably holds said boxes without rocking or tipping movement. It will be apparent that a greater number of spacers may be employed but three point support has been found excellently to accomplish the purposes.

As each tier of boxes is formed by a plurality of complete stacks of boxes positioned in end-toend relation transversely of the railroad car or other carrier, a pair of wooden strips 40 is located at the outwardly disposed side of each stack of boxes adjacent the ends of the boxes in each stack and nailed at 4| at a plurality of locations into the boxes. Thus the individual boxes in each stack with a plurality of spacers 23 and 3| therebetween are held unitarily in fixed vertical relation whereby they cannot become inadvertently separated during the transportation thereof. The strips are nailed against the exposed side of each tier of boxes as said tiers are arranged across the width of the car. The strips in practice are nailed only to the bottom box and to the top box in each stack but may be nailed to most or all of the boxes, if desired. Each stack of boxes is thus held unitarily along one side thereof. Although the strips are shown and described as constructed of wood, it is obvious that they may b e made of fibreboard, plastic, lstrips of sheet metal, or any material with sufficient tensile strength to prevent the boxes from moving relatively vertically in the stack. f

Although the top layer of boxes in the stacks do not support additional boxes thereof, the spacers 23 and 3| may be conveniently employed to lock the stacks in spaced relation. Inasmuch as no weight is exerted downwardly on the top spacers to maintain them in place, the spacers on the top cleats 2| of the top boxes may be nailed into position as at 39 in Fig. 3. The top of the load may also be secured in horizontal arrangement by overlaying the same with car strips and nailing the car strips into place. The spacers, however, are superior to the car stripping of the top layer in that they do not overlay the upwardly arched portion of the lids and thus exert no crushing elect upon produce packed in the boxes. The bosses upwardly extended from spacers employed above the top layer have no function, thus the spacers 23 and 3| may have such bosses removed for this purpose, if desired. f The load assembly of the lpresent invention permits the ready vertical movement of the air,

Ais dependably maintained in position by the interlocking of the spacers with the box cleats with the stacks spaced in the rows, the boxes spaced in the stacks, and the produce assured dependable support, complete and efficient pre-cooling, effective refrigeration, and convenient and speedy fumigation. The nailing of the strips 40 to the sides of the boxes in the stacks not only maintains the boxes in xed vertical relation against any bumping of the car, but further serves to maintain the spacers in place and provides vertical ventilation passages along the sides of the boxes in communication with the vertical passages at the ends of the boxes and the horizontal passages between the boxes in the stacks.

Second form of spacer A second form 42 of the spacers of the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. As in the case of the spacers 23 the spacers 42 are formed of substantially rectangular blocks of wood, or other suitable material. Said spacers provide downwardly extended bosses 43 and upwardly extended bosses 44 at their central portions adapted snugly to fit in the interstices of adjacent stacks of boxes. Said bosses have spaced outwardly converging side walls, such as f the bosses 2B and 21 of the spacer 23 to facilitate placing of the spacers. A pair of substantially horizontal, wedge-shaped portions 45 are laterally extended from the central portion of the spacer 42 and have thickened outer end portions. yAs shown in Fig. 8, the spacer 43 receives the cleats 20 and 2| of the boxes between the thickened end portions of the wedge-shaped extensions and the central bosses and interconnects pairs of boxes in a stack in xed vertically spaced relation and corresponding pairs of boxes in adjacent stacks in horizontal spaced relation. The :inwardly converging Wedge portions 45 tend to move the boxes having cleats abutting thereagainst toward the central portion of the spacer 42 and thus, even if jostled during shipment, the boxes are dependably maintained in position and spaced for ventilation, fumigation, and the like, as described for the spacers 3|.

A so-called half-spacer 41 is shown in Fig. 10 which comprises a spacer 42 bisected through the bosses 43 and 44. The half-spacer 41 is employed much in the manner of half-spacer 3| and thus is not described in further detail.

Third form of spacer in thespacer is required. Such a modied spacer is shown generally at 52 in Figs. 1l and 12. The spacer' 52 takes the form of the spacer 23, already described, but does not have the upwardly extended bosses 29. Thus the spacer 52 includes the'v downwardly 'extended central boss 26. the

centrally through the bosses 26 and 21.

atea-118 upwardly extended centralv boss 21,. the downwardly disposed` spaced channels 25- andthel spaced downwardly extended bosses 28- of theA spacer 23. The removal of the upwardly extended bosses 29 provides the boss' 52 with substantially horizontal box supporting surfaces 53V at each side of the boss 2i. InV use the spacers intercon-v nectsupporting', boxes by being. rested upon adjacent ends of. boxes in adjacentv stacks and by the reception of the cleat ofsaid boxes in the" groove's25. superimposed boxes are rested upcnA the surface53 and are spaced from' the supporting boxes by the spacer and the adjacent stacks spaced by bosses 2S and 27.

In Fig. 13, a half-spacer 55 of the type desige nated 52 is shown con'iprisir'i'gA a spacer 52 bisected The half-spacer 55 is employed Vmuch in tliemann'er of the half-spacers 4T and 3l to space vertically superimposed boxes in da. stack and to' space the stacks" from an adjacent wall of a confining railway carv or the like.

Although the spacers have been shown and described as formed from wooden blocks it is believed to be within the scope of this invention to form the spacers from materials such as metal, plastic,.or any other material that will maintain the desired shape or' form for engaging and spacing' purposes. Itis also assumed that the blocks may be fabricated from a plurality of properly shaped individual blocks, nailed, glued' or other# wise adhered together' to" obtain the described forms of spacer. I

Alternate form of hold-downv As illustrated inV Figs. 14. and 15, the' plurality of boxes located in superimposed relation, forming' a 'vertical stack' may be held vertically in unitaryrelation by the flexible tension' means shown. In this form, previously to a stack' being formed adjacent the end wall 35 of a" railway car, a pair of horizontally spaced.nails 6o are driven* into the' end wall o'f the car adjacent the' bottom thereof.. Screws, bolts or the like anchoring means; may be substitutedfor thenails 45.V A: cord', wira'cable or-'other' exible tension meanest is attached tor each of the nails, as by tying one endl thereof to the nails and driving the sam'efhome. Boxes' or lugs areY thereafter stacked adjacent 4theend wall ofv thecar and the' pair of nail-s, to the desired height. Another pair of nails, screws, bolts or like anchoring means 62 areattached to the bottom box near` the bottom edge of the exposed' side thereof. The pairof cords Sl are stretched' upwardly along'the rear side of the stacked boxes, forwardly over' the top box and downwardly along the exposed side of the stack with each cord pulled tight and attached to one of the nails 62. This same procedure is followed in' successive stacks in assembling a completeA row of stacks against the end wall of the car, with the half-spacers 3l located between the side walls and each adjacent stack'of'boxes andthe spacers 23 located between adjacent' vertically positioned boxes maintaining the stacks in thei'ow's in a spaced'relation to each other as illustrated in Figures 1,' Band 3.

- A 'secnd'row is formed adjacent the iirst row with each attack 'inthe second row located in side by side relation to the stacks in the first row with the spacers23' maintaining vertically adjacentb'oxesA and adjacent tiers in spaced relation-- ship.=. Afpair of n'ailsii'3 v orthelike'iare' driven intojth .exposed a side .of 1 each lower .'.b'ox near the" lwer'; edge:.therecf' and the# pair' of 'cord's'j located in substantial parallelism are broughtr upwardly along the rear side of` eachV secondstack, forwardly over the top box and down-j wardly along the exposed side of each second stack with each cord attached to the nails 63 of their respective stack. This procedure is repeated in assembling rows of boxes from bothends of the car until the center of the car is reached.

In the use of the described means for maintaining all of the stacks in unitary relation, the individual boxes in each stack are prevented from bouncing or raising relative to thev otherboxes in the stack. The rst row of boxes adjacent the end of the car are held downwardly. being anchored to the end of the car, and theremainder of theV rows are held downwardlyv byl being anchored to bottom boxes in the stackstherein. Thus the entire carload of boxes is1pre=` vented from bouncing or shifting verticallyvl relative to the car or to each other.

l Operatie/n The operation of the load assembly of the present invention is clearly apparent and is briefly summarized at this pcint. rested in a position where it isv desired to provide a stack of boxes in the load assembly. In a railway car, for example, this would normally be withv an end of the box adjacent the side wall 32 of the car, and with a side of the' box abut-f' ting an end wall of the railway car, the box being rested on the slats 34. When boxes provide ing both upwardly and downwardly disposedcleats are employed, half-spacers 3| ori 41 are employed to space the box from side wall of the car. This is done by tting the groove 25` of the spacer 3l over the upwardly' disposed cleat 2| of' the box with the boss 26 interposed the' cleat and the side wall of the car'. Whentlie spacer 41 is employed it is rested on the cleat 2l between the thickened outer end of the wedgeshaped portion 45 and the boss 43 with said boss interposed the cleat and theA side Wallof the'c'ar.Y A second box is arranged in4v spaced end-toei'id relation with the first box and a pair of the`Y spacers 23 or 43 rested upon thecleatsY 2l ofthe adjacent ends o'f the boxes' and receiving 'said cleats 4in the manner described for spacers 3-| and' 4'll Y The downwardly disposed cleats 20" of superimposed boxes are fitted into the channels' 254 of the spacers 23 and 3i, or when spacers 42 and 43 are employed, rested upon said spacers between the thickened end edges of the wedge-shaped portions and the central bosses. Thus each half-Y spacer vertically spaces a pair ofv superimposed boxes and horizontally spaces the ends of said boxes from the side lwall V32', or' other confining wall of the railway car" or the like'. Each of the spacers 23 and 42 interconnects four' adjacent" boxes, vertically spaces' corresponding pairs of superimposed boxes' in adjacent stacks, and horizontally spaces the stacks. As previously de; scribed, and as shown inFigs. I and 2', the' boxespreferably are supported at one end by a single spacer and at the opposite end by a pair' of spacers, the end of the box supported by a sin gle spacer in turn supporting a pair of spacers l and the end of the boxsuppo'rtd by a pair of' spacers in turn supporting a single spacer.v Al#- ternate adjacent ends of boxes in a tier inagive'n layer' of boxes, employ single spacers' and' thai-ntermediate :adjacent ends cfthe taxes;- paisfof spacers:

A box of produce is The spacers 52 and 55 are employed with boxes having no bottom cleats 2| in the general arrangement described for the cleats 2,3, 3|, 42, and 4l but interlocking only the boxes on which they are rested.V The spacers 52 space superimposed boxes from the boxes on which they are rested andV corresponding boxes of adjacent stacks from each other. The half spacers I55 space superimposed boxes and the ends of the boxes from adjacent confining walls of the rail- Way car.

As each vertical stack of boxes is completely stacked, usually terminating a distance from the top of the railway car in which they are located, a pair of spaced strips 40 is nailed to the exposed side thereof along the ends of the boxes. The strip is usually vnailed only to the bottom and top box in a stack but may be nailed to most or all of the boxes. Thus the top box in each stack is located in a fixed relation above the bottom box with the intermediately spaced boxes flxedly positioned therebetween by the spacers.

The stacks may be maintained unitarily by the means shown in Figs. 14 and 15 in which a pair of cords 60 are anchored to the Wall of the railway lcar and extend over an adjacent stack of boxes, being anchored to the bottom box of the stack at the side opposite to the wall. The cord continues over each next adjacent box and is anchored to the bottom box of each stack oppositely of the wall. Thus the top box in each stack is held downwardly maintaining the boxes of each stack in unitary relation.

The arrows 36, 31, and 38 clearly demonstrate the free movement of air, fumigation gases, or the like `vertically between the stacks and horizontally between the boxes in the stacks. In actual practice the vertical passages serve to feed the passages between the boxes in each stack with refrigerated air, fumigation gas, or other gases desired to circulate through the load assembly in intimate contact with the boxed produce.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited'to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to'embrace any and all equivalent devices and structures. A

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination of a plurality of boxes of substantially uniform shape arranged in stacks and the stacks arranged with the boxes in endto-end relation in tiers, the individual boxes havingl cleats secured thereto disposed transversely of the tops of said boxes adjacent to the ends, and spacersY adapted to hold the boxes in the stacks in vertically spaced relation and adjacent'stacks in the'tiersl in horizontally spaced relation comprising' elongated blocks positioned horizontally between and interconnecting corresponding boxes of adjacent stacks, said blocks being transversely grooved to receive the cleats of the corresponding boxes of adjacent stacks and providing spacing bosses integral therewith extended from the blocks between the ends of the boxes of adjacent stacks in the tiers.

2. The combination of a plurality of boxes of substantially uniform shape arranged in stacks and the stacks arranged with the boxes in endto-end relation in tiers, the individual boxes having cleats secured thereto disposed transversely of the tops of said boxes adjacent to the ends, and spacers adapted to hold the boxes in the stacks in vertically spaced relation and adjacent stacks in the tiers in horizontally spaced relation comprising elongated blocks positioned between corresponding superimposed boxes of adjacent stacks, said blocks having a pair of substantially parallel, spaced grooves formed transversely of the block adapted to receive the cleats of adjacent boxes in adjacent stacks and upwardly and downwardly extended bosses centrally thereof posi'- tioned between the adjacent ends of the boxes of adjacent stacks.

3. The combination of a plurality of boxes of substantially uniform shape arranged in stacks and the stacks arranged with the boxes in endto-end relation in tiers, the individual boxes having cleats secured thereto disposed transversely of the tops of said boxes adjacent to the ends thereof, and spacers adapted to hold the boxes in the stacks in vertically spaced relation and adjacent stacks in the tiers in horizontally spaced relation comprising elongated blocks positioned between superimposed boxes in the stacks and interconnecting corresponding boxes of adjacent stacks, said spacers having central downwardly extended bosses positioned between the adjacent stacks, central upwardly extended bosses positioned between said stacks, and pairs of downwardly extended bosses spaced on opposite sides of said central downwardly extended bosses distances suicient to receive the box cleats therebetween.

4. In combination with a railway car, or the like, loaded With stacks of boxes of substantially uniform rectangular shape and size arranged in tiers with the boxes of adjacent stacks in spaced end-to-end relation, said boxes having transverse cleats adjacent to the ends thereof, spacing means interconnecting corresponding cleats of adjacent stacks in fixed spaced relation and interposed between corresponding boxes of said adjacent stacks, the spacing means having central boss portions upwardly and downwardly extended therefrom' between the stacks, and bosses at the outer ends thereof spaced from the central boss portions to receive the cleats therebetween.

5. The combination of a plurality of substantially uniformly shaped boxes arranged in stacks and the stacks arranged with the boxes in endto-end relation in tiers, the individual boxes having cleats secured thereto disposed transversely of thetops of said boxes adjacent to the ends thereof and cleats secured thereto disposed transversely of the bottoni of said boxes adjacent to the ends thereof, andspacers adapted to support the boxes in the stacks in vertically spaced relation and to maintain adjacent stacks in the tier in horizontally spaced relation, the individual spacers each comprising an elongated block positioned between and interconnecting corresponding superimposed boxes oi. adjacent stacks, said spacers being substantially rectangular and having a pair of substantially parallel, spaced grooves formed therein disposed transversely of the top of said block and a pair of downwardly disposed, correspondingly spaced grooves formed in the bottom of said block, the grooves receiving the box cleats, individual boxes being supported at one end by a single spacer and at the opposite end by a pair of spaced spacers and in turn supporting a superimposed box by a pair of spaced spacers rested on the end of the box supported by a single spacer and at the opposite end by a single spacer rested upon the end of the box supported by double spacers.

assays-1c 6.A spacer ladapted for use to maintain boxes Variganged stacks in vertically spaced relation vand .adjacent stacks in :horizontally spaced relav 301111251Qlrdirlg .pairs of superimposed boxes of adjacent stacks and to interconnect the stacks. said block lhaving a thickened central `portion with end wardly disposed Shoulders adapted to .fit snugly between the interstices of the stacks of boxes, cndwardly extended portions of reduced thickness kOf lengths lcf irresponding to the widths oi? the cleatsandtniekened terminal end portions providinginwardly,disposedShoulders adapted to V.look the lcleats asainetrnovernent away from each vother when .,reeeived against the ,portions of reduced thickness. o

'1. The oo mbiniiori o f ,a plurality of boxes of substantially uniform rectangnielehane arranged in stacksand the stacks arranged with the boxes in endtoK-ernd relation,intie rs,V the individual boxes having cleats secured thereto disposed transversely of the tons .of Said boxes adjacent to the ends, and spacers adapted to hold the boxes in the stacks in vertically spaced relation and adjacent stacks in the tiers inhorizontally spaced lrelation Vcomprising elongated blocks positioned between correspondingv superimposed boxes Y.of adjacent stacks, eaeh of said vblocks having a pair of substantially parallel, spaced grooves .formedtransverselyof the block nttcd over Athe veieatsof .adjacent boxes in adjacent stacks, and

a tension member secured to and extending betwee the .tee box and the bottom box inl cach Ystack corriereseine the-boxes and interpositioned blocks 4between ^Said ton and bottom boxes with the grooves ofV the blocks seated on the cleats.

.aoaeine .means adapted to support boxes andthe likein yertieally spaced relation in stacks and to the etacksin horizontally spaced relation comprising a .substantially horizontal rectangular bleek adapted to fit between and intcrconneetnairsojfsunerirnnoeed boxes of adiacent StaQlSSLSdll blopks'haying a pair of substantially nparallel, spaced, downwardly disposed grooves formedtransversely therein and a pair of correspondingly.. spaced, Ysubstantially parallel transverse grooves formed upwardly disposed iillel' l1iY` ou.-

a. aienaeer ier-nee in maintaining boxes. or th like, arranged in stacks in vertically spaced "lation-randa@ ent stacks in 4 horizonte'tlly spaced relation, '.said boxes having transverse ,e

.ledges ationeosite ends thereof, comprising a subst tialiy, rectangular.block-adapted to be 'horiao ly `no srtioned between corresponding pairs ci nnerininoeedboxes or adjacent stacks and to nnect. the stacks said Vblock havinef a pair oi substantially parallel, ,spaced grooves Aformed transverselythlerein adapted to receive the ledges oi eorreenendineboxes or adjacent stacks and donnine between thegroovee a thickened central relation and the stack in horizontally spaced rela- `tiontoan-adiacent Wall, said boxes having ledges upwardly extended from the tops thereof adjacent tothe ends, comprising a substantially rectangular'block adapted to be horizontally positioned between superimposed boxes and endwardly extended therefrom, said block having a thickened endportionfadapted to fit snugly between Athe stack of lboxesv and the wall providing a, shoulder inwardly disposed for ledge engagement, a central portion of reduced thickness of a length-corresponding to the width of the ledges of the boxes, and va thickened'opposite end providing anrinwardly .disposed shoulder disposed for ledge engagement; i

`1l. VSpacing Vmeansadapt'ed'to support boxes and the like in vertically spaced relation in a stack and `to maintainthe stack in horizontally spaced relation to awall comprising a substantially horizontal rectangular'block adapted to fit between superimposed boxes in the stack, said block having an upwardly disposed transverse lgroove and a downwardly disposed transverse groove Vformed Vtherein'in substantially vertical alignment.

12. `In lcombination with a railway car, or the like, loaded withstacks of boxes of substantially uniform rectangularV shape and size arranged in tiers with the boxes of adjacent stacks in spaced end toend relation, said boxes having transverse ledges adjacent to the ends thereof, spacing means interconnecting corresponding ledges of adjacent stacks in fixed spaced relation and positioned between corresponding boxes of said adjacent stacks, the spacing means having thickened central portions Ywith ,endwardly disposed shoulcle-rs adapted to iit snugly between the interstices of the stack of boxes, endwardly extended portions of reduced thickness of lengths corresponding to the widths of the ledges, and thickened Aterminal end portions providing inwardly dis- .posed'shoulders adapted to lock the ledges against movement .away from each other when received against the portions of reduced thickness.

' CLYDE M. MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following Yreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '1,442,259 Eaton V Jan. 16, 1923 1,993,216 Marshall Mar. 5, 1935 2,059,390 Pagel s Nov. 3, 1936 2,226,667 Love Dec. 31, 1940 2,248,119 Reed et al V July 8, 1941 2,341,088 Ellis V Feb. 8, 1944 

